I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the ^(A)true vine, and my Father is ^(B)the vinedresser. ^2 (C)Every branch in me that does not bear fruit ^(D)he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, ^(E)that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already ^(F)you are clean ^(G)because of the word that I have spoken to you. ^4 (H)Abide ^(I)in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; ^(J)you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that ^(K)bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me ^(L)he is thrown away like a branch and withers; ^(M)and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If ^(N)you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ^(O)ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ^8 (P)By this my Father is glorified, that you ^(Q)bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

^12 (A)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and ^(B)his love is perfected in us.

^13 (C)By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And ^(D)we have seen and testify that ^(E)the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of ^(F)the world. ^15 (G)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ So ^(H)we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ^(I)God is love, and ^(J)whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this ^(K)is love perfected with us, so that ^(L)we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because ^(M)as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but ^(N)perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not ^(O)been perfected in love. ^19 (P)We love because he first loved us. ^20 (Q)If anyone says, “I love God,” and ^(R)hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot^[a] love God ^(S)whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(T)this commandment we have from him: ^(U)whoever loves God must also love his brother.

¹⁹ Now ^(A)the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, ^(B)divisions, ²¹ envy,^[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that ^(C)those who do^[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But ^(D)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(E)love, joy, peace, patience, ^(F)kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 (G)gentleness, ^(H)self-control; ^(I)against such things there is no law.

The Harvest of the Earth

¹⁴ Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one ^(A)like a son of man, ^(B)with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ And another angel ^(C)came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, ^(D)“Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for ^(E)the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, ^(F)the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, ^(G)for its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great ^(H)winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And ^(I)the winepress was trodden ^(J)outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as ^(K)a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.^[a]